The removal of unwanted and/or life threatening biological material from interior portions of bodily cavities, such as organs, vessels, articular joints and structures, sinuses, and various bodily lumens, is a very common procedure in various medical specialties and disciplines, such as pulmonology, cardiology, urology, gynecology, gastro-enterology, neurology, otolaryngology, orthopedics, and general surgery. Accordingly, various instruments and methods have been employed to perform these procedures, which are generally well known in the art.
One of the most important complications in such procedures is bleeding. The bleeding and resulting morbidity of tissue that occurs in many of the currently known surgical procedures is the result of abrasive, traumatic, and invasive excising and removal techniques. Many of these techniques risk perforation of the vessel or lumen in which the procedure is being performed, resulting in grave complications for the surgeon and patient. In addition, many patient maladies are simply not remedied by these procedures because no interventional, minimally invasive treatment modality exists, the methods are not efficient, safe, and reproducible, and/or the instruments employed lack the appropriate visualization, physiological measurement, and/or feedback necessary to ensure the safety, efficacy, and reproducibility of the procedure. Accordingly, a new type of treatment is required.
One instrument that is commonly used in various types of medical procedures is an inflatable balloon catheter, of which many different types exist, which are utilized to perform various necessary functions. For example, these inflatable balloons are often used to control or stop bleeding, to hold instruments in place, or to prevent or facilitate other flow or movement within the bodily cavity. For example, many urological catheters are held in place via a balloon that impacts the sidewalls of the urinary tract, many gynecological instruments are held in place via balloons that impact the sidewalls of the vaginal vault, endovascular balloons are often used to control bleeding, inflatable balloons are sometimes used to control the backflow of radio-opaque agents injected into the cystic duct to detect the presence of gall stones during general surgical cholecystectomy procedures, and, recently, balloon catheters have been employed to release sinus congestion.
One particular application of such catheters is lung cancer. Among all types of cancer, this form is among the deadliest, as more than one third of all deaths due to cancer are caused by lung cancer. Over 1.5 million new cases are diagnosed worldwide each year. The most frequent cause of death for lung cancer patients is airway obstruction. In lung cancer patients, one third of all cases initially, and another third of the cases in the long term, present main airway obstruction, which may cause asphyxia, hemorrhaging, and infection. These complications are the most frequent causes of death in lung cancer patients.
Use of interventional bronchoscopy for the treatment of lung cancer and the resultant airway obstruction increases the quality of life and survival rates of patients suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and the obstructive co-morbidities associated with the cancer. Accordingly, balloon catheters have been routinely used with various endoscopes and with flexible and rigid bronchoscopes for dilation, as a tamponade to stop bleeding, and as an interference fixation device to hold instruments in place and prevent the retropulsion of those instruments under backflow pressure.
In light of the aforementioned need for a new type of treatment for removing undesirable biological material in bodily cavities, it has been realized that inflatable balloon catheters may further be employed as interventional tools for the excision and removal of such materials—such as endoluminal obstructions and tumors and endovascular occlusions—in various applications, such as the aforementioned interventional medical specialties of pulmonology, cardiology, urology, gynecology, gastro-enterology, neurology, otolaryngology, and general surgery. The use of balloon catheters in this way has presented a method of treatment that is simple, safe, highly effective, and inexpensive compared to other types of methods and devices that are used, such as mechanical, laser, electrocautery, cryotherapy, etc.
Accordingly, a new class of balloons has been suggested for this purpose, such as that disclosed in European Patent Application No. EP 1 913 882 by Karakoca. This device employs a balloon catheter with a hardening surface, which can be inserted into bodily cavities. After the device is inserted, the balloon is inflated, and the balloon is moved back and forth within the cavity such that the textured surface performs a shaving action on the unwanted biological material. In this way, the targeted material is resected.
However, this particular instrument and method of using it suffers from a number of disadvantages and shortcomings. One of the most significant problems with this resector balloon is that unwanted biological material is removed by shaving it with the hardened surface on the outside of the balloon—i.e., by moving the balloon back and forth and/or rotating it. This mechanism of action can be abrasive and traumatic. Moreover, the hardened surface coupled with the shaving action can sometimes lack the precision necessary to prevent complications such as bleeding and structural perforation of the affected anatomical structure. Furthermore, the amount of torque and back and forth force needed on the balloon may cause a device failure, particularly where the balloon is attached to the catheter.
Another disadvantage of this resector balloon is that its hardened surface is a separate membrane located on the outside of the balloon. This membrane has different stretching characteristics than the balloon and effects the performance of the balloon catheter negatively. It may be required to pre-exercise the balloon catheter outside the body before use. Additionally, it may break off under the frictional stresses of the procedure and further obstruct or compromise the bodily cavity in which the balloon is deployed.
Another problem with this resector balloon is that it further lacks accuracy because it lacks the capability to precisely gauge the size of the environment in which it is being used to provide physiological measurements and feedback that could aid treatment intervention and efficacy. For example, there is no way for the surgeon to know the diameter of the affected bodily cavity itself, proximal or distal to the obstruction therein. Similarly, there is no way for the surgeon to know the intra-lumen diameter where the unwanted tissue growth or tumor resides, and further, no way to accurately adjust for changes in this diameter over time as the growth or tumor is resected. Because it has no mechanism for measuring the intra-lumen diameter at different points within the cavity, and particularly, how this changes over time, one is not able to be properly adjust the amount of pressure supplied to the balloon and thereby prevent complications and expedite treatment.
A related problem with this device is that there is no way for a physician to measure the intra-articular space between two articular structures, endplates, or surfaces.
Yet another related problem with this device is that there is no way for the surgeon to know the density of the bodily cavity proximal or distal to the obstruction, nor can the surgeon know the density of the growth or tumor itself. Because there is no mechanism for measuring the density of the cavity or the obstruction, one is likewise unable to properly control the pressure in the balloon to aid surgical precision, minimize potential complications, and expedite the procedure.
Still another related problem with this device is that it does not have a way of identifying the type of balloon catheter that is connected to the pump. As a result, the balloon may be accidentally over-inflated, and thus, the balloon could burst.
Another disadvantage of this resector balloon is that it is comprised of a single, unitary structure, which means that one is only able to inflate the entire balloon as a whole. This results in several deficiencies, including: the inability to measure the intra-lumen diameter at different locations, including both the bodily cavity itself (proximal/distal to obstruction) and the obstructive biological material; the inability to pinpoint the location(s) requiring the maximum pressure in order to precisely and methodically resect the obstruction; the inability to tamponade specific areas in order to control bleeding; the inability to capture material that has been excised in order to extract it from the bodily cavity; and a tendency for the balloon to slip and migrate.
Yet another deficiency of this device is that it is not able to be positioned as optimally as may be desired. For example, the overall diameter of this balloon catheter requires a rigid or flexible endoscope with a working channel. In addition to the fact that such endoscopes may not be readily available, they are single lumen devices. As a result, a guide wire cannot be used to guide them into bodily cavities either through a rigid or flexible endoscope or alongside, in parallel to, a rigid or flexible endoscope. Likewise, this device does not have the ability to linearly translate the balloon along the catheter construct, which would enable one to optimize balloon placement and productivity. Finally, the device does not include material for externally identifying its position, such as a radio-opaque material. Therefore, one is not able to easily identify the position of the balloon via an external imaging modality, such as radiographic or ultrasonic imaging. Each of these shortcomings contributes to one's inability to position the balloon as precisely as may be desired.
Another disadvantage of this resector balloon is that there is no way to provide the physician illuminated light, non-thermal illuminated light, and direct visual feedback of the area ahead of the balloon, ahead of the balloon looking back towards the balloon, along the sides of the balloon or behind the balloon to optimize treatment intervention and efficacy.
A further deficiency of this resector balloon stems from the fact that it is a single lumen device where the proximal end is closed off. As a result, it does not allow for passage of fluid, such as air or blood, from the distal end of the catheter to the proximal end when the balloon is inflated. This is particularly important in interventional pulmonology applications, where aspiration in the event of airway obstruction is critical. Likewise, this is important in interventional cardiology applications to permit the bypass of blood flow during the operation of a vessel segment.
Another deficiency of this device is that it does not have the ability to deliver cryogenic agents or forms of energy that could assist in the resection of the undesirable biological material. As a result, one is unable to supply cryogenic agents or forms of energy such as radio-frequency, ultrasonic, and electrosurgical energy in order to perform ablation, desiccation, cauterization, excision, decortications, and/or tissue modification in order to optimize hemostasis and resection.
A further deficiency of these balloon catheters is that there is no way to provide localized delivery of drugs, stents, biologic materials, nano-particulates, or related technologies to the surface of the balloon. Thus, one is unable to use the device to supply these means of providing medicinal, therapeutic, and restorative treatments.
What is desired, therefore, is a resector balloon system for removing undesirable biological materials that does not cause unnecessary trauma to the affected bodily cavity as a result of a shaving action used to resect that material. What is also desired is a resector balloon system with controllable rates of inflation and deflation. What is further desired is a resector balloon system that does not require a separate membrane affixed to the exterior of the balloon. What is also desired is a resector balloon system that can be administered either through an endoscope, alongside an endoscope, or via radiographic or ultrasonic imaging. What is also desired is a resector balloon system that is able to provide physiologic feedback to determine intra-lumen diameters and densities where the unwanted biological material resides and at locations proximal or distal to such material, the intra-articular space between two articular structures, and the type of balloon catheter connected. What is also desired is a resector balloon system that is able to provide dimensional and performance metrics of the balloon catheter construct in vivo. What is further desired is a resector balloon system that can be optimally positioned within the bodily cavity and can pinpoint specific areas at which to provide maximum inflation. What is also desired is a resector balloon system that can supply light and visualization capabilities, cryogenic agents and various forms of energy to assist surgical techniques, and drugs and related materials to the anatomical site. What is further desired is a resector balloon system that allows for the passage of fluids from the proximal to the distal end of the catheter.